Influenza A Viruses: New Insights in 2022

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 October 2022) | Viewed by 12777

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Interests: influenza virus; respiratory syncytial virus; viral pathogenesis; monocytes; macrophages; lymphocytes
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Guest Editor
NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, Long Island, NY, USA
Interests: respiratory syncytial virus; influenza virus; clinical trials; respiratory virus vaccines; RSV-related inflammation and immune responses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a major cause of respiratory infections worldwide, with the most severe cases occurring in the very young and in elderly individuals. Infants and children having their first encounter with the virus have the greatest incidence of severe enough infection to require medical attention. Although the highest illness rates occur in children, most deaths occur with infections of the elderly. In addition, immunocompromised individuals of any age are at greater risk of adverse outcomes.

Seasonal IAV was responsible for an average of 12,000–52,000 deaths annually between 2010 and 2020 in the U.S. before onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC, with preventive measures addressing the latter respiratory infection also reducing the impact of seasonal influenza. IAV pandemics emerge at unpredictable intervals. There have been four influenza pandemics in the last 103 years, with the 1918 H1N1 avian virus responsible for an estimated 675,000 U.S. deaths. Viral strains with pandemic potential continue to be isolated from avian species. For example, outbreaks of human infection by avian influenza A virus subtypes H5N1 and H7N9 have been associated with 53% and 39% mortality, respectively.

The aim of this Special Issue of Viruses is to contribute to the current knowledge regarding innate and adaptive immunity to IAV, the pathogenesis of the infection, the ecology of the infection, the populations at risk and epidemiology of the infection, treatment approaches directed at IAV or modification of host responses, and approaches to vaccine development that are likely to benefit the host upon subsequent natural challenge. Research articles, review articles, and short communications are invited. Reports of promising candidate "universal" (broadly protecting) IAV vaccines and reports of IAV co-infections (e.g., with SARS-CoV-2 which is currently producing a worldwide pandemic) are encouraged.

Dr. Norbert J. Roberts, Jr.
Dr. Leonard R. Krilov
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Influenza A virus (IAV)
  • IAV pathogenesis
  • Innate immunity to IAV
  • Adaptive immunity to IAV
  • IAV therapy
  • IAV vaccines, including universal vaccines
  • IAV epidemiology
  • IAV co-infections

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 184 KiB  
Editorial
The Continued Threat of Influenza A Viruses
by Norbert J. Roberts, Jr. and Leonard R. Krilov
Viruses 2022, 14(5), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14050883 - 24 Apr 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2248
Abstract
Influenza A virus (IAV) is a major cause of respiratory infections worldwide, with the most severe cases occurring in the very young and in elderly individuals [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influenza A Viruses: New Insights in 2022)

Research

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18 pages, 4278 KiB  
Article
Cellular PSMB4 Protein Suppresses Influenza A Virus Replication through Targeting NS1 Protein
by Chee-Hing Yang, Che-Fang Hsu, Xiang-Qing Lai, Yu-Ru Chan, Hui-Chun Li and Shih-Yen Lo
Viruses 2022, 14(10), 2277; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102277 - 17 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2326
Abstract
The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of influenza A virus (IAV) possesses multiple functions, such as the inhibition of the host antiviral immune responses, to facilitate viral infection. To search for cellular proteins interacting with the IAV NS1 protein, the yeast two-hybrid system was [...] Read more.
The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of influenza A virus (IAV) possesses multiple functions, such as the inhibition of the host antiviral immune responses, to facilitate viral infection. To search for cellular proteins interacting with the IAV NS1 protein, the yeast two-hybrid system was adopted. Proteasome family member PSMB4 (proteasome subunit beta type 4) was found to interact with the NS1 protein in this screening experiment. The binding domains of these two proteins were also determined using this system. The physical interactions between the NS1 and cellular PSMB4 proteins were further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation assay and confocal microscopy in mammalian cells. Neither transiently nor stably expressed NS1 protein affected the PSMB4 expression in cells. In contrast, PSMB4 reduced the NS1 protein expression level, especially in the presence of MG132. As expected, the functions of the NS1 protein, such as inhibition of interferon activity and enhancement of transient gene expression, were suppressed by PSMB4. PSMB4 knockdown enhances IAV replication, while its overexpression attenuates IAV replication. Thus, the results of this study suggest that the cellular PSMB4 protein interacts with and possibly facilitates the degradation of the NS1 protein, which in turn suppresses IAV replication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influenza A Viruses: New Insights in 2022)
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Review

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18 pages, 1477 KiB  
Review
Understanding the Role of HLA Class I Molecules in the Immune Response to Influenza Infection and Rational Design of a Peptide-Based Vaccine
by A. K. M. Muraduzzaman, Patricia T. Illing, Nicole A. Mifsud and Anthony W. Purcell
Viruses 2022, 14(11), 2578; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14112578 - 21 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4108
Abstract
Influenza A virus is a respiratory pathogen that is responsible for regular epidemics and occasional pandemics that result in substantial damage to life and the economy. The yearly reformulation of trivalent or quadrivalent flu vaccines encompassing surface glycoproteins derived from the current circulating [...] Read more.
Influenza A virus is a respiratory pathogen that is responsible for regular epidemics and occasional pandemics that result in substantial damage to life and the economy. The yearly reformulation of trivalent or quadrivalent flu vaccines encompassing surface glycoproteins derived from the current circulating strains of the virus does not provide sufficient cross-protection against mismatched strains. Unlike the current vaccines that elicit a predominant humoral response, vaccines that induce CD8+ T cells have demonstrated a capacity to provide cross-protection against different influenza strains, including novel influenza viruses. Immunopeptidomics, the mass spectrometric identification of human-leukocyte-antigen (HLA)-bound peptides isolated from infected cells, has recently provided key insights into viral peptides that can serve as potential T cell epitopes. The critical elements required for a strong and long-living CD8+ T cell response are related to both HLA restriction and the immunogenicity of the viral peptide. This review examines the importance of HLA and the viral immunopeptidome for the design of a universal influenza T-cell-based vaccine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influenza A Viruses: New Insights in 2022)
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Other

8 pages, 244 KiB  
Perspective
The Enigma of Lymphocyte Apoptosis in the Response to Influenza Virus Infection
by Norbert J. Roberts, Jr.
Viruses 2023, 15(3), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15030759 - 16 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1586
Abstract
In the pathogenesis of influenza virus infection, lymphocyte apoptosis as a part of the infection and/or the immune response to the virus can be somewhat puzzling. The percentage of human T lymphocytes within the peripheral blood mononuclear cell population that becomes apoptotic greatly [...] Read more.
In the pathogenesis of influenza virus infection, lymphocyte apoptosis as a part of the infection and/or the immune response to the virus can be somewhat puzzling. The percentage of human T lymphocytes within the peripheral blood mononuclear cell population that becomes apoptotic greatly exceeds the percentage that are infected after exposure to the virus, consistent with substantial apoptosis of bystander T lymphocytes. Studies reveal an important role of viral neuraminidase expression by co-cultured monocyte/macrophages in induction of apoptosis, including that of uninfected bystander lymphocytes. Despite these observations, it is a reasonable perspective to recognize that the development of lymphocyte apoptosis during the response to infection does not preclude a successful immune response and recovery of the infected host in the great majority of cases. Further investigation is clearly warranted to understand its role in the pathogenesis of influenza virus infection for human subjects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influenza A Viruses: New Insights in 2022)
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